Ted Smith, the club’s founder, said between $80,000 and $100,000 worth of products was taken.
A crew from a B.C. government agency took virtually the entire stock from the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club on Thursday morning. Reports The Times Colonist
The Community Safety Unit from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General is responsible for enforcement under the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act and focuses on the illegal production and sale of cannabis.
The unit carries out activities against unlicensed cannabis producers and retailers across the province.
Victoria police were on hand at the club’s headquarters on Balmoral Road, near Quadra Street, to ensure things went smoothly.
“We’re not involved in the enforcement action at all,” said spokesman Bowen Osoko.
An emotional Ted Smith, the club’s founder, said between $80,000 and $100,000 worth of products was taken by the unit, which arrived about 10 a.m.
In other similar cases there has been enough product stashed away in nooks and crannies to resume operations, but that was not what happened in this instance, Smith said.
“Every other time we’ve reopened the next day and had a fair amount of medicine available, but right now we’re in a lot of trouble,” he said. “I think we have no choice but to apply for an injunction now.”
He said he had been planning to put in a stash room at the site, which the club moved to just three weeks ago after having to leave its previous location on Johnson Street.
Smith said the club serves about 3,000 people a month.
“People count on our medicines for a range of conditions from cancer to chronic pain to epilepsy, arthritis, diabetes.”
The action taken was unexpected, Smith said.
Source: https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/province-removes-stock-from-victoria-cannabis-buyers-club-6748667
